We’re Going Again… Eventually

If you know us at all, by now you’ve heard us talk about the Farmer to Farmer mission to Harrisburg,  Liberia in West Africa.

Patti and I are both on the U.S. half of the Farmer to Farmer board, help plan, and oversee our mission’s efforts as best we can.   I (John) have already been there twice, and Patti has been there three times.

We had hoped to return in 2024, but my return to seminary in pursuit of a doctoral degree and Patti’s kidney transplant made traveling anywhere this year impossible. We are hoping to escape for a long weekend of vacation this fall, but that may be all that fits in our schedule. We do hope to return to Liberia soon though and I hope that you will prayerfully consider joining us when the time comes.

Until then, here is some history of our project:

In 2019, Farmer to Farmer ran our biggest ever capital funds campaign to raise money  to build a new agricultural high school in Harrisburg because in that rural area, although government supported education is available (though not always affordable) through the ninth grade, the nearest high school is three hours away.  On foot.  As a result of that campaign, the construction of the high school has been completed and we are currently fundraising to complete the last few rooms, equip the science lab, buy books for the library, and hire staff.

Prior to that, St. Johns United Methodist Church and the St. John’s Elementary School took a leap of faith  in 2019 and constructed a new elementary school building on the Farmer to Farmer campus.  Many of these students are able to attend school through scholarships offered by Farmer to Farmer.

Currently, our school has outgrown its existing buildings and the higher grades, what we would describe as middle school, are now using parts of the new high school. So, once we staff the high school and fill it with freshmen, we will need to start construction of a new middle school. But, one step at a time, right?

  Despite all our efforts, many families cannot afford to send their children to school.  Tuition is unaffordable. And, even though the public school is technically free, and the teachers are paid by the government, families still have to pay for uniforms and school supplies.  Due to the rampant poverty in Liberia, even this is too much. More than 60 percent of Liberian children will not attend school at all and that’s why Farmer to Farmer provides scholarships to our school, to the public school, and to the Lutheran school nearby.

With the help of friends like you, Farmer to Farmer is fighting to make education available and affordable to the children of Harrisburg.

Come With Us

And, now that we’re going back, we want you to come with us.  While there, we will be renewing friendships, preparing the new high school buildings for the upcoming school year, worshiping together with out Liberian friends, making new friends, and supporting the people of Harrisburg however we can.

The trip is not inexpensive, but whether you are a pastor, or a layperson, this trip will forever change the way you think about Africa, about missions, and about the church.

You don’t have to be “young.”

During our visit in January 2017, we realized  that Patti and I were the youngest people on our team.  The oldest was in her eighties.  We did the math and discovered that the average age of our team was 64 or 65.  Some of them had never been out of the United States before.

You can do this.

You don’t have to be Methodist.

Although many of the Farmer to Farmer board members belong to the the United Methodist Church, we are an entirely independent 501c3 organization and our ecumenical work in Harrisburg is with the entire community.  We are partners with the school at St. John’s Methodist Church, but also with both the local public school and the Lutheran school.   We are not building a “Methodist” high school, we are building a community school and as we do so, we are partnering closely with the the community of Harrisburg and with other churches in the community.

If you’d like to learn more about our trip, or more about the Farmer to Farmer mission and our work in Harrisburg, Liberia, please contact me at PastorPartridge@gmail.com  or by mail at Rev. John and Patti Partridge, c/o Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.

May God bless you richly!

Pastor John & Patti Partridge